Europe strengthens its air quality directive. Current standards responsible for 300,000 premature deaths per year in Europe, including 40,000 in France.
Ultrafine particles, also called PM0.1, are so small that they can pass directly into the blood, reach all organs, and cause tissue inflammation. The entry into force will begin in 2030 and is less strict than the World Health Organization (WHO) which proposed new objectives for ambient air quality in 2021. The introduction of the reform, envisaged for 2030, may be delayed by ten years by Member States.